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Solaris to Launch New 18-Metre Version of Its Urbino Hydrogen Bus in September

By August 11, 2022 3   min read  (545 words)

August 11, 2022 |

Fuel Cells Works, Solaris to Launch New 18-Metre Version of Its Urbino Hydrogen Bus in September
  • 54 Urbino hydrogen units of the old version were sold last year. Nearly another 100 units have been ordered for this year.

So far, there has been only one bus model in Solaris’s hydrogen-powered offering, the Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen bus. Soon, this will change thanks to the 18-metre version of the Urbino hydrogen bus, which will be launched in September.

Solaris is constantly working to optimise its range. At the launch, announced for September, the manufacturer will unveil its 18-metre bus with hydrogen as the main power source. The vehicle will join the Urbino 12 hydrogen in the hydrogen offering of the bus maker.

As with the shorter bus version, at the heart of the bus sit cutting-edge fuel cells that act as a miniature hydrogen power plant on board the vehicle. Thanks to this technology, and an increased number of new, light hydrogen tanks, the bus will be able to cover long distances on a single refill.

The longer version of the Solaris hydrogen bus will also carry more passengers, in particular as regards the number seated.

These articulated vehicles, equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell, are nothing new in the Solaris offering. Manufactured for Hamburg in 2014, our 18.75 m electric Solaris Urbino buses featured a hydrogen range extender. First and foremost, the device was designed to increase the bus’s range and functioned as a complement to the battery, which was the main energy source on board. This was also the case for the Solaris Trollino 18.75 trolleybuses which made their way to Riga in 2018-2019.

The articulated Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen bus will be presented to the public for the first time on 14 September 2022. Deliveries, in turn, will be able to start in the second quarter of 2023. Taking into account clients’ needs, the manufacturer has decided to unify this vehicle with other Solaris buses to the maximum extent possible. Clients will also have a possibility to customise the bus to individual preferences, e. g. the Urbino 18 hydrogen bus will be available with various door arrangements and, what is more, it will be equipped with numerous ADAS (Advanced Drivers Assistance Systems) solutions, i. e. automated assistance systems for the driver, including such features as MirrorEye and MobilEye Shield+.

Solaris Plans to Launch an 18m Hydrogen Fuel Cell Urbino Bus

With the new 18-metre hydrogen bus, the manufacturer is responding to the growing market interest in hydrogen technology. Undoubtedly, this has been stimulated by the continuously growing network of hydrogen refuelling stations around Europe, as well as by subsidies from the European Union to boost the development of zero-emission public transport.

As you may recall, the launch of the 12-metre version of the Solaris Urbino hydrogen took place in 2019. Since then, hydrogen buses have been delivered, among other places, to Bolzano in Italy, Cologne and Wuppertal in Germany, as well as to our clients in the Netherlands and in Sweden. 54 Urbino hydrogen units in total were sold last year. Nearly another 100 units have been ordered for this year. The new Urbino 18 hydrogen bus will most certainly satisfy the needs of carriers in the articulated hydrogen bus segment, and the company will soon be able to announce even more orders placed for this new zero-emission vehicle.

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